Letter from William A. Breeze to Gary I. Sharp (February 11, 1975)

Letter from William A. Breeze to Gary I. Sharp (February 11, 1975)

Letter from Breeze to Sharp (February 11, 1975)

Lake Apopka (Fla.)

Environmental protection--Florida

Parks--Florida

Springs--Florida

A letter from William A. Breeze, president of the West Orange Chamber of Commerce, to Gary I. Sharp, dated February 11, 1975. In this letter, Breeze discusses the potential use of the Gourd Neck Springs area for a recreational park. Breeze states that the chamber, along with the Orlando Area Chamber of Commerce, co-sponsored a meeting of interested persons and state officials to discuss environmental restoration in the Ocklawaha Basin, including Lake Apopka. In this meeting, Breeze states it was agreed that the Gourd Neck Springs area should be restored for use as a park. The letter also states that due the area's current state of segmented private ownership, the land needs to be purchased by either the State of Florida or the federal government before use as a park.

Gourd Neck Springs is a small spring located in the southwest portion of Lake Apopka, in a small cove called “Gourd Neck” due to its distinctive shape. This area of the lake was considered in the 1960s as a potential nursery for fish. The Lake Apopka Technical Committee explored damming the Gourd Neck, separating it from the lake and preventing polluted lake water from entering, but these plans did not materialize. Efforts were also made in the 1960s to have the Gourd Neck area purchased by the State of Florida for use as a public park. The Gourd Neck Springs Park Association was formed in 1961 to study the site’s potential for a park and lobby for support from legislators. The land bordering the area was privately-owned by various individuals. One of these, Gary I. Sharp, continued seeking support for a park into the 1970s. While the project received support from Florida legislators and environmentalists, the land was never purchased by the state.

Breeze, William A.

Photocopy of original 1-page typewritten letter from William A. Breeze to Gary I. Sharp, February 11, 1975: binder 1975, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.

1975-02-11

Digital reproduction of photocopied 1-page typewritten letter from William A. Breeze to Gary I. Sharp, February 11, 1975.

Binder 1975, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.

Friends of Lake Apopka Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

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1-page typewritten letter West Orange Chamber of Commerce letterhead

eng

Text

Gourd Neck Springs, Lake Apopka, Florida

West Orange Chamber of Commerce, Winter Garden, Florida

Orlando Area Chamber of Commerce, Orlando, Florida

Donation

History Teacher

Originally created by William A. Breeze.

Copyright to this resource is held by the Friends of Lake Apopka and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.

King, Joshua

"Apopka Spring." Lake County Water Atlas. Accessed June 08, 2016. http://www.lake.wateratlas.usf.edu/resource.aspx?wbodyid=8500.

Campbell, Ramsey. "Source of Surprise: Crystal Clear Water from Lake Apopka." The Sentinel Star, April 23, 1995. Accessed June 8, 2016. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1995-04-23/news/9504220188_1_lake-apopka-spring-water-bottled-water.

"Letter from Arthur W. Sinclair to C. W. Sheffield (December 22, 1967)." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/6858.